BERLIN. MARYLAND. U. S. A. 



Packing and Marketing a Fruit Crop 

 to Secure the Highest Prices 



By G. HALE HARRISON 



SELLING a fruit crop is just as im- 

 portant as growing it. Unless the 

 product is well sold the orchard is 

 a liability ratiier than an asset. 



Picking is the first thing. The ut- 

 most care must be taken to avoid 

 bruising the fruit. Hand-picking is 

 the safest. The average picker must 

 be told over and over again to place the 

 fruit carefully in the containers. 

 Peaches should be picked each day, 

 when fully grown, and not all at one 

 time. The fruit 

 should be rushed to 

 the packing-house 

 or cold storage on 

 vehicles with 

 springs, with auto- 

 trucks, just as soon 

 as the fruit is taken 

 from the tree. 



Grading is the 

 next step. Our 

 state, as well as 

 some of the other 

 states, has a law 

 governing grading. 

 The provisions of 

 this law have not, 

 so far, been prac- 

 tised to the extent 

 that they should be. 

 The honesty of the 

 grower is shown in 

 his pack. For ex- 

 ample, standard 

 packages should be 

 used: a 32-quart 

 crate for rasp- 

 berries, blackber- 

 ries and straw- 

 berries; 5 to 10- 

 pound baskets for 

 grapes; for peaches, the regular 6-gal- 

 lon Georgia carrier is the most prac- 

 tical container. 



Some sections use the 4-8 baskets; 

 others use the full bushel baskets with 

 handles. Summer apples should be 

 handled in bushel hampers. Fall and 

 winter apples and pears should be 

 shipped in bushel boxes and 3-bushel 

 barrels. Eastern growers use barrels 

 largely for packing the bulk of their 

 crop of winter apples, while the west- 

 em men use boxes. 



The use of refrigerator cars is of 

 prime imp>ortance. First, the car 



should be perfectly clean. Second, the 

 bunkers should be full of ice. Third, 

 the drip-pipes should allow a free 

 flow of water to prevent the melting 

 ice from flooding the car. 



Refrigerator cars must be used for 

 peaches, early apples, and other soft 

 fruit, and ought to be iced several 

 hours in advance of use and allowed 

 to get as cool as possible. When you 

 begin to load, rush the loading of 100 

 or more crates, then close the doors 

 until the next lot 

 is ready. We load 

 the minimum num- 

 ber of peach crates 

 — 300 for express 

 and 400 for freight. 

 Good marketing 

 is the crown of the 

 crop. There is 



always a greater 

 demand for the 

 best fruit than for 

 the second - grade 

 fruit. 



If your com- 

 munity has a fruit 

 exchange, the crop 

 can probably best 

 be sold through it; 

 without this, your 

 best plan is to 

 arrange with reli- 

 able commission 

 men (and there are 

 such) to handle the 

 fruit. 



If you have car 

 lots, straight 

 packed, one va- 

 riety, and will 

 grade your fruit up 

 to a standard, one of the best and 

 safest plans is to sell it f. o. b. your load- 

 ing station after the fruit is packed. 



In marketing any fruit crop no set 

 rule can be followed. I have outlined 

 a few general rules which will apply 

 to most conditions. 



Every fruit-grower, however, must 

 be guided by local conditions, shipping 

 facilities and nearness to markets. 

 Remember that it always pays to 

 spend sufficient time, energy and 

 money to make your fruit clean, free 

 from diseases and of good size. Such 

 fruit will command top market prices. 



